FRANKFORT, Ky. (Jan. 14, 2013) — A 44-year-old man who operated a bariatric and pain management center in Georgetown and a wellness clinic in Dry Ridge was indicted today in U.S. District Court for drug and money laundering conspiracies, according to Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway.
Ernest William Singleton, Double D. Holdings, LLC and S & R Medical Enterprise, LLC, dba Central Kentucky Bariatric and Pain Management Center (formerly in Georgetown, Ky.) and Grant County Wellness Clinic (formerly located in Dry Ridge, Ky.) were named in the indictment. Singleton was arrested Monday morning at the Washington County Sheriff’s Department and is charged with conspiracy to distribute oxycodone and conspiracy to launder funds from October 2010 until January 2013.
The charges against Singleton are the result of an investigation by Conway’s Department of Criminal Investigations (DCI), working in partnership with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Kentucky State Police. Prosecution of the case is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
In addition to the indictment, Singleton, Double D and S&R Medical Enterprises are subject to the forfeiture of farmland, vehicles, businesses and other property that were acquired as proceeds of or used to facilitate the alleged crimes. Search and seizure warrants were executed Monday at numerous locations including a Georgetown pharmacy co-owned by Singleton and two private residences in Springfield and Lawrenceburg, Conway said.
Singleton closed his pain management centers in Kentucky and opened a center in Jeffersonville, Ind. following the implementation of House Bill 1, which requires that the owner of a pain management clinic be a licensed physician.
“Illegal pill mills have fueled the prescription drug epidemic in Kentucky that now kills more people than traffic accidents,” Conway said. “I appreciate the hard work of my Drug Branch Investigators, working in coordination with our state and federal law enforcement partners, in bringing this case forward.”
A date for Singleton to appear in federal court has not yet been set. If convicted, he faces a maximum of 20 years in prison on each count.
While no physicians were named in the indictment, the Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure (KBML) has taken disciplinary action against five doctors affiliated with the Central Kentucky Bariatric and Pain Management Center and Grant County Wellness Clinic. Two have agreed to indefinite practice restrictions and must pay $10,000 fines for violating the Medical Practice Act, while one physician remains suspended pending final action by the KBML.
An indictment is a formal statement of charges and does not imply guilt.
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